Sunday, November 1, 2009
Fall York Train Meet
The Fall York Train Meet was held 15-17 October 2009 and attendance was high as usual. New and old trains were
for sale and changing hands from start to finish. I was looking for used parts that are hard to find and in true York
fashion, found them all. My 681 freight set sold at a fair price and there is one happy new owner with a boxed 1951
set.
You must be a member of the Train Collector's Association to attend or go as a guest of a member. The next
meet is in April 2010 and if you would like to attend as my guest, please let me know.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Repairing Locomotives at the TCA Toy Train Museum
On August 15, 2009, I took a trip to the Toy Train Collectors Association (TCA) Museum in Lancaster, PA, for a Saturday
"work day." The repair slots were full of engines and cars that needed fixing for the operating displays in the Museum.
My first engine was a NYC F3 that had only one truck operational. I took it apart and found the brass worm wheel
totally worn out. This required pressing the old one off and finding a new one somewhere in the parts bins - the hardest
part of the repair. After replacing the wheel, it still would stall. I found a tiny piece of metal in one of the
idler gears that caused the whole problem. Removed it and the locomotive runs like new.
The second engine was a Rock Island F3 powered unit that only had one truck operating. After
taking it apart, I found the armature frozen in the field winding and the armature plate melted. It needed a new
motor - there were only used ones in a bin. I found one that had a bad field winding, took it apart, put the new armature
in the old field winding, but it was too tight - the field winding had closed .001" with all the heat and was binding the
armature. Pressed the field apart slightly and put in the used armature and armature plate. With new brushes and
rewiring, it was back in service. One of the more challenging repairs I have had up there.
They run those locomotives until they go no more! If you want to have some fun, join me - they do it once a month.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
TCA York Train Meet
April 23-25 2009 was the semi-annual Train Meet in York, PA. It is held in seven (7) very large halls and is attended by
roughly 14,000 train enthusiasts. Commercial train dealers fill the Purple, Orange, and Brown Halls and members fill the
Blue, Silver, White, and Red Halls. A large operating layout is displayed in the Black Hall by different train clubs by invitation.
The Meet is for TCA members and their families only, but members may bring guests for one lifetime visit only. Most guests
join during the Meet.
I thought that the economy would have discouraged members from attending but that was not the
case. The usual number attended and buying and selling was as brisk as ever. I sold about 70% of the train items I brought
to the Meet - successful in my opinion. i found all the "hard to find" parts that I needed for repairs waiting
for me at home.
If you have any interest in going in October, let me know and I will take you as a guest.
10:13 pm est
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Lionel 700E Hudsons
This was the month to work on 700s - two of them came in for repair.
700K. This was the kit that was introduced in 1938 and ran to 1942. The nice part of this particular engine
is that it had been ordered with flangeless center drive wheels so it would run on Lionel tubular track instead of T-Rail.
The builder of this kit assembled it as a scale direct current (DC) locomotive and there was a rectifier where
the E-unit was supposed to be. I did not see how it could ever run with DC because the drive wheels were not
insulated. The new owner wanted me to clean it up, install the missing parts, install a whistle, and convert
it to AC. Parts were over $150 and labor was $200. It is now a 700KWX, where the W stands for whistle and the
X for the tubular track option. It looks and runs like new.
700E. This one was in for a "tune up" but it was more than that inasmuch as the motor would not turn over.
After disassembly, it was clear that motor ran very well, but the drive train was locked up. Further disassembly showed
70 years of hardened Lionel grease in the well with the worm and spur gears. I am pretty sure it has been a "shelf queen" for
nearly all of her years. After thorough cleaning and lubrication, the locomotive was running and looking like new.
This was a late 1937 frame with no oil screws and no warping. Total cost of repair was all labor, $36.00.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Lionel 200 Series Alco Engines
Lionel has acknowledged a problem with the design of these engines and has a technical bulletin out that discusses "uneven
operation in forward and reverse." I recently took one in for repair that would not go in either direction. Lionel
described the problem as a loose bearing plate that housed the lower end of the armature - this one was tight. However, the
field structure plate, which is staked on in four places, was loose. This caused the field to move and bind on the armature.
I restaked the plate, reassembled the engine, and the owner said that it has never run this well.
10:30 am est
